Sew & Tell - Francine's Kimono Shirt

It's been drizzling here in the city. Fog hiding the much needed sun and keeping the temperature low. Very low indeed... So what can brighten us sewers up? A little girl in mom's handmade clothing, of course! Elia was a bit afraid of petting Dash, but not hesitant at all to model for the camera:-) She is wearing her mom's kimono shirt. The pattern is from Little Stitches for Little Ones. A kimono shirt is easy peasy. No buttons. No zippers. No collars. And no curves. It's all about straight stitches. Don't you think Elia Looks pretty comfy? Thank you, Francine and Elia!

Dash's Day on the Beach

D: catch me if you can...

D: oh, no you caught me...

D: hey guys, you want to play tag?

D: do i have to go?

D: do they make paw converse?

D: zzzzz....

Sew & Tell - Ryoko's Dress

Ryoko is married without children, but she enjoys making things for her friend's little girl. Here Erika is wearing Ryoko's recent project, a pink calico dress. Very cute! The pattern is from one of the Japanese books (sorry, not sure which one), but I tell you this dress is not for beginners, but she did a fantastic job. The peter pan collars and matching fabric buttons are timeless, and I always love the classic look on children. It's perfet with her egg robin Mary Jane. You know how much I love Mary Jane :-) Thank you, Ryoko and Erika!

Ryoko used the following print...

Spa

A little classic. A little modern. A little organic. A little subtle. And very pretty...
More colors available at the shop.

Dash's Days

It's been only a week since Dash left his shelter friends and came to live with us. And what has happened in just one week? This little guy is growing soooo fast. By the time you come to see him, he won't be the same cuddly guy anymore. So I decided to post no matter what you think. It's my blog. I can post anything I want :-)

He won't leave his favorite owner alone...and Mr. Monkey...

Believe me he is comfy...Zzzzz...

He loves his wild back yard...we've been weeding for him...

What a good looking guy! A new thing I found out about him is that he has no Chihuahua blood. He is in fact a Pekingese/Border Collie mix. No wonder he is so smart!

These eyes...these brown eyes melt my heart...

A little visitor gently watches him...I am grateful everyone loves him...

Sew & Tell - Bags, Bags, Bags

Diamonds maybe women's best friend somewhere else, but bags are women's best friend around Peapod. Handmade fabric bags, off course. They are made in the shape you like, in the size you like, and they are budget friendly. From grocery shopping to strolling in a park, they are pretty versatile too. Who needs a $200 mother's bag when you can make it for a quarter of the price. And they are speeeecial! Here are some examples to inspire you to start to sew one. Thank you for sharing, Yoko, Tina, Carmen, and Maki!!!

Yoko's pear tote. fruit prints are always happy and perfect for grocery shopping.

Tina's quilted shoulder bags. Quilting is not just for blankets, you could take it with you around town. When quilted, bags become more constructed and nicely cushioned.

Carmen's waist pouch. Very versatile as she made pouches with casing instead of stitching on the belt. They are slipped on the belt as a double waist pouch, but become individual shoulder pouches when she slips a leather strip into the casing.

Maki's oil cloth lunch bag along. It might look a little challenging, but it is not. Maybe it is the oil cloth that intimidates you. To sew oil cloth on the right side, you need to use a teflon foot, or a narrow strip of parchment paper on top just to cover where your are sewing. This will prevent the foot to stick on the oil cloth. Just sew over the parchment paper and rip it off after you are done.

The inside of the utensil roll pocket.

Sew & Tell - Claudia's Mini Dress/Tunic

You might know that I've been diligently promoting the Mini Dress/Tunic pattern. Making them, wearing them, and showing what others have made. And I know a lot of you became a fan of the pattern too. Well, Claudia is no exception. She is an experienced quilter, but she doesn't really sew clothing, she says. But, she decided to make one for her daughter, Elizabeth. Voila! How cute! She hesitated to be in the photo because she was having a bad hair day. What was she talking about? She looks great! Don't you agree? Thank you, Claudia and Elizabeth!

A Doggy Blanket

I don't mean to turn this site to a pet blog, and I promise this is still a sewing blog site. I didn't mean to show off Dash again, but it had to be this way for this project :-) The main thing here is the blanket I quickly sewed this morning. I wanted to use something darker for an obvious reason...but what could be more perfect for a doggy blanket? These dogs are hilarious. Well, he seems to pay more attention to his monkey friend, but he'll love it when it gets stinky :-)

I used the following prints...perfect for little Dash...

Next Project

An Ice Cream Dress was supposed to be my next project...


...but I think I will make a doggy quilt first.
You know this guy is just irresistible...I just want to squeeze him :-)

A Shop Dog

Everyone, please meet our new addition to Peapod Fabrics. He is Dash. An eight-week old chihuahua/pekingese mixed puppy. We saw him this past Sunday (the reason to open an hour late) and picked him up this morning from the shelter. He is the reason we moved to a new place where a dog is allowed. And he is another reason we decided not to go on a road trip. Besides the Paul McCartney concert, it was another big summer event for us. He had such a big day. He spent all day with us at the shop greeting people. He is so playful and loves people! He is the cutest thing ever! We are all so excited.

Dash: I'm so exhausted.

Where I was last night...

When I found out Paul was coming to town, I knew this was going to be my son's first concert to attend. I went for a field seat since this was his graduation gift. Or more truthfully I needed a good excuse to buy a field ticket. It wasn't cheap, but since we decided not to go on a road trip this year, I decided to indulge ourselves on this once in a lifetime opportunity. Yes, we are vacationing at home. Then we waited for this big day. Paul was so charming the whole night and he was just awesome!

Sew & Tell - Bag Ladies' Bags

Okay, this team of mother and daughter are self-claimed bag ladies, but they don't live on the street:-) And I call them so because I forgot to ask their names. Sorry... They just LOVE bags. In a bit different way. The mom loves making them, and the daughter loves carrying them. They are both crafty, but their regions of art are different. One works with fabric. The other works with papers. And this combination is working perfectly giving love to one another. Here is how it works. The seamstress mom makes her daughter a bag, and the artist daughter returns her mom a handmade thank you card. Nice, huh? So, here both are holding Amy Butler's bags. Mom carrying Birdie Sling, daughter holing Chelsea Bag. This is my first time to see a Chelsea Bag in person. And it is cute! Thank you, bag ladies!

Vintage Embroidered Quilt Top

Yes, summer is in full bloom here in San Francisco. Cold, gray, and drizzling! Brrrr. But, just to get the day started, I just wanted to show you this pretty vintage quilt top that Raquel brought to share with me. It has 48 states flowers embroidered with a sign of two state blocks cut off. This photo doesn't do any justice, but it is so pretty! And so vintage! I wish they make a kit like this today as they did in the old days. Raquel is hoping to take over this quilt and finish it someday. Thank you for sharing, Raquel!